AN: some shades of Najara in this chapter. Enjoy and good luck! ;)
Chapter 49
Gabrielle and Xena stopped through their long journey back to Athens to make camp. Xena had Adam tied up and on the back of Argo so she wouldn't try to escape again. Gabrielle sat down on the ground and saw the female soldier sitting on a large stump with her hands and ankles tied together as well as her mouth gagged. She stood up and peered behind her to see Xena talking with one of her men and she seemed to be upset at something. Occasionally she'd glance over at the gagged girl soldier and shake her head, covering her eyes with her hands.
Gabrielle crept over discretely and took the cloth out of the girl's mouth. "I'm sorry Xena tied you up, she can be a bit...what's the word I'm looking for," she smiled nervously. "Intense!" the girl stared at her with confused eyes. Gabrielle ignored her last comment and then looked into the scared girl's eyes. "Say, what is your real name? I know you're not a man...Xena and I both know," she smiled reassuringly.
The girl looked at the empress and she was flaying her hands around, obviously angry. She was quite scared of the woman, even though she hadn't harmed her or even worse..killed her. "Tala..." she mumbled. Gabrielle grinned nodding her head.
"That's a nice name! Why do you dress like a soldier? Phraates would never allow women to enter in his army."
Tala shrugged her shoulders. "Because I wanted to leave home. I was worthless there and there were no boys in my family so I decided to disguise myself as a warrior and find someone who would hire me..." she twiddled her thumbs, feeling the rope burning her wrists. Gabrielle looked back at Xena again who was very preoccupied. She quickly decided to set this girl free from the ropes. Grabbing a dagger from her boot she held it up and Tala gasped.
"Shh!" Gabrielle hushed her putting a finger to her mouth. Tala's eyes lingered on the empress and saw her looking at them. "I'm just going to cut these ropes," she smiled and did just that freeing Tala's wrists. She exhaled softly and rubbed her aching wrists. "You have to promise not to run away. I can't save you from Xena, you're on your own if you run, got it?" Tala nodded furiously as she didn't want to upset Xena.
Xena waltzed over and saw the girl's hands were freed and she folded her arms at Gabrielle. "Gabrielle, a word?" she smiled tightly. Gabrielle stood up and they walked off to the side out of hearing range from Tala. "why did you cut her loose? What if she tries to escape again?" she spat and glared at the soldier.
Gabrielle set her hand on Xena's arm and tried to calm her sudden irate mood. "She promised she wouldn't run away," she smiled. "Xena she's just a lost girl posing as a soldier. Give her a break?"
Xena shook her head, "I don't trust her. She ran from me when I asked her to tell me about Phraates."
"She's just scared!" Gabrielle folded her arms. Xena began chuckling and sarcastically smiled. Gabrielle frowned and Xena's laughter died and a frown appeared on her lips.
"You're serious? Do you care for this girl?" Gabrielle lowered her gaze. "Oh come on!" Xena rolled her eyes. "She could be a spy."
Gabrielle huffed. "You already asked her that question and she said that she wasn't. you don't believe her do you?"
Xena smiled curtly, "oh and you do? Gabrielle sometimes I question your judgment of someone's character," her eyes went to Tala and the girl was moving her ankles, trying to scratch her calf, although failing in the process.
"Don't talk to me about character judgment Xena! You're probably the worst when it comes to that!" Gabrielle frowned as she raised her voice Xena's eyebrows lifted in her bangs, a bit surprised at her friend's temper. "You didn't even ask for her name."
"Yes I did! She lied to me!" Xena yelled and Gabrielle waved her hand leaving this conversation. "Excuse me, where are you going?" Gabrielle didn't respond and went back to Tala and cut the ropes around her ankles. She and Xena shared a glare and Xena shook her head disapprovingly. She walked over to the two younger women and snarled. "Fine but you watch yourself, Gabrielle," she whispered and went in her tent.
Tala frowned as Xena left the scene. "she doesn't like me does she?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about her she's in a mood..." she sighed forgetting about Xena for awhile. "So we're going to be here for awhile. Why don't you tell me about your family and why you left?" she smiled and Tala nodded smiling in return. She felt that she was able to open up to Gabrielle and she feared Xena.
A couple of hours went by and Xena left her tent, she was organizing her documents she wanted to present to the Roman senate, not in person of course. They were about Phraates and she wanted him out of the picture. She grabbed her bow and chakram to go hunting for food. She was feeling a bit restless and wanted to let off some of her frustration since all she wrote about was Phraates for the last few hours. She exited the tent and found Gabrielle talking with Tala, laughing, smiling and sitting very close together.
She approached the two and Tala immediately shied away from her. Gabrielle's laughter died down as she turned around and saw Xena standing in front of them wearing her full black and silver armor with a bow strapped on her back.
"I'm going to go hunting do you want to come with me Gabrielle?" she smiled and Gabrielle shook her head, declining.
"No I'll just stay here with Tala. You always like to go hunting by yourself anyway." She smiled and Xena frowned. Tala looked away from Xena's menacing gaze. The empress left the campsite and took two men with her since Gabrielle refused to go with her.
As she entered the forest Xena couldn't shake this feeling coming over her. She didn't trust that girl Talia or whatever her name was. Gabrielle actually believed her and even trusted her. Xena wanted to feel bad for the girl but she still didn't trust her. She thought she was hiding something and Gabrielle was completely oblivious to it all. So unlike her, she thought. Xena and her two men traveled into the deep forest and she grunted pulling out her bow hoping to forget any harsh feelings she had for Gabrielle at the moment.
Solan took a group of ten men with him to go the inner city of Athens to look for Eve. They had searched for hours and so far found nothing. They searched Athens in its entirety and all came back with no Eve in their arms. Solan was beginning to blame himself for not looking after his sister, but then he remembered that Eve was pretty smart, she could be off somewhere else just having a small adventure. She liked to roam around the palace a lot and get in small places to read or just to scare the living daylights out of people from time to time.
He rode on his horse far on the outskirts of the city and overlooked the Aegean Sea. It was so blue and so beautiful much like Eve's eyes. He groaned and cursed to himself. He felt absolutely horrible for losing Eve and he wanted to find her before his mother and Gabrielle returned. Xena could be very scary when something went awry but Gabrielle...Solan shook his head at that blonde. Gabrielle loved Eve more than anyone, possibly more than he did. Not really, but she definitely loved her a lot. She was more than Eve's aunt to her, she was her friend and anything she told Gabrielle, never got word to Xena. Gabrielle was Eve's confidant when Xena upset her or simply wanted to tell her something that she would never tell her mother.
If Solan didn't find Eve soon then he would have to deal his mother's and Gabrielle's wrath and that was never pretty. After all Gabrielle was the one who taught Eve how to read and write. Xena taught her how to use weapons and self defense just as she did with all the other girls. Everything Xena couldn't give Gabrielle did.
Solan spotted something white in the distance and he squinted his eyes. He saw a white horse and he immediately smiled feeling hopeful. Riding down the large hill he came to the beach and that horse was indeed Elijah, Eve's horse. He hopped of his steed and came to Elijah who seemed confused and lost. "What in the world was Eve doing all the way out here?" he stroked the horse and then saw something reflecting off the sunlight.
Kneeling down he picked up Eve's locket and she always kept that with her. Although she was nowhere in sight. His eyes scanned the area and he frowned, growing more frustrated at himself for allowing this to happen.
A couple of the men saw Solan on the beach and approached him. He was staring off at the blue sea all alone. The men recognized Elijah and saw that Eve was nowhere in sight. "Her horse is here but where is she?" one of the men asked.
Solan shook his head defeated. "I don't know," he peered down at the golden locket in his hand and turned to the men. "Do you think someone took her?" he asked solemnly. "I mean it's really unlike her to leave her horse. Maybe I should have broken my mother's trust and taken her to see Athens and maybe she'd still be here," he frowned and tucked the locket in his vest pocket.
The men lowered their gazes, not sure of what to say. "If anyone took her they traveled by sea."
Solan nodded, "then we gotta find her." He mounted his horse and wrapped a rope around Elijah to take him back to the palace. "We'll meet back at the palace."
"What is your plan?" one of the men asked, a bit uncertain of Solan's idea to return to the palace.
"I'm going to look though my mother's documents to see what she is up to. Maybe I'll find something there that will lead us to Eve," he sighed and rode up the hill with Elijah in tow.
Eve was kept below the deck and she was tied to one of the ship's wooden posts. She groaned as she tried to get free for a few hours now but it wasn't working. She then heard footsteps coming from upstairs and she stopped struggling to free herself and remained stoic.
Phraates, the Persian King entered the supply room and saw the small thin girl tied to the post. He stood in front of her with folded arms examining the girl. "you're a little young to be traveling all by yourself aren't you?" he smiled and Eve furrowed her brows, narrowing her blue eyes. He knelt down and grabbed her cheeks. She breathed heavily out her nostrils and stared into his dark brown kohl lined eyes. "Very pretty eyes you have. Just like your mother's," he grinned and Eve's blue eyes widened. He let go of her cheeks and stood straight.
"She did a very good job keeping you a secret," Phraates grinned. "Although Xena is known for keeping many secrets," he chuckled. He turned to his best hand man and whispered, "she is Xena's daughter? You're positive?"
The man nodded, "I'm positive! Look at her! She has the Thracian's eyes, her hair, her stature and attitude." He snarled at the girl and Eve frowned. This was the same man whom she encountered on the beach earlier. Her kidnapper.
The Persian King nodded feeling very pleased. He had something that Xena would die for right in the palms of his hands. "Bring her to my room," he smiled. The man nodded and untied Eve's arms from the pole and forcefully gripped her thin arms. Eve grunted and struggled to get free. She stomped on his boot and then saw a dagger on his belt. She whipped the dagger from his belt and ran to the other side of the ship. Phraates folded his arms watching this small girl take down one of his men. He smiled seeing his best commander struggling to capture the girl.
"She's definitely Xena's daughter," he chuckled watching the exchange.
Eve pointed the dagger at the man and she backed up closer to the wall. "Don't come any closer or I'll...I'll stab you!" she said and the man groaned coming at her and she dodged him running to the other side of the ship, keeping her footing as the ship swayed back and forth gently.
"This will be a lot easier if you comply little girl," the man stepped closer holding his hand out. "Hand me the dagger," he asked nicely before he was about to explode. Eve thrust the dagger closer to him refusing to obey.
Phraates came behind Eve and wrapped his arm around her small chest and held his scimitar close to her neck. "Give him the dagger," he demanded. Eve refused and he tightened his hold on her. "Do it! or...would you like something to happen to your mother?" he smiled and Eve's eyes grew in fear. She dropped the dagger and the man grabbed her instantly.
Awhile later Eve sat in Phraates' office below the ship and she had her hands neatly folded in her lap staring at the Persian King. He smiled at her and pushed the plate of Turkish delights towards her. "Go ahead, take one," Eve shook her head refusing the offer. He shrugged and set his boots on top of the desk. Eve was scanning the room and Phraates caught on. "you're not leaving this ship unless you want to swim your way back to Athens in shark infested waters," he chuckled. Eve silently cursed to herself for allowing herself to get in this mess.
Phraates leaned back in his chair, "so, has your mother mentioned me?"
"You're the Persian King," Eve spoke sternly. The king smiled nodding his head. "So she speaks!" he chided.
"And you know we're not good friends, don't you?" he playfully asked.
Eve's frown deepened. "You want my mother's empire." She then smiled deviously. "Good luck with that!"
Phraates frowned at this arrogant brat and let his boots land on the ground. He got up and circled Eve as she sat in a chair which swallowed her small frame. "Do you think your mother is a good person?"
Eve nodded her head innocently. "She doesn't kill people. She only kills people when she has to," she nodded reassuring herself. "People like you," she half smiled, teasing the king.
"Why you..." his voice began to rise then he caught himself and simply smiled kneeling down eye level to the small girl. "You have a big mouth." He smiled tightly. "Wouldn't you think it'd be better if we all had a giant empire and lived together in peace? Your mother would still be Empress and you...a beautiful princess," he smiled mischievously touching Eve's long dark hair.
Eve squirmed away from him and frowned. She didn't like what she was hearing and knew that he was lying –one of his best qualities. "She will come for me, you know." She said positively.
Phraates laughed and stood up walking over behind his desk. "You really think that? She'll never find you out here in the open waters. As I recall...she's looking for me, right? She's not even in Athens!" he laughed loudly and Eve straightened her posture, remaining blank faced.
"When she finds out that you have me...she will chop you into little pieces!" Eve yelled out and Phraates' felt his blood boiling being talked down to by a mere child. A spoiled princess, and worst of all, the spawn of Xena.
He tried his best not to let his temper get the best of him since Eve remained so calm and so sure that Xena would find her and rescue her. He tapped his fingers on the desk patiently. "Has your mother ever told you about her past? She's not a good person. She's an evil woman," he grinned as he saw the color in Eve's eyes change to a subtle darker blue. "Did she ever tell you what she did to your dear brother?"
Eve's eyes grew large. Phraates laughed nodding his head. "Oh yes princess, I know all about your brother, Solan, courtesy of the Roman Emperor." His good friend Octavius of course. "She gave him away as a babe because she didn't care about him! So what makes you think..." he twirled a sand timer in his hand. "...she cares about...you?" he grinned evilly and Eve shook her head lightly.
He titled the sand timer on its bottom and sand slowly trickled from the top to bottom of the glass. He pat Eve's small shoulder. "When this timer runs out we will be in Persian territory. Don't think about escaping or...well you know what will happen," he grinned and exited the room.
Eve stared at the glass sand timer and couldn't believe what Phraates told her. He knew that he was a liar and she shouldn't believe anything he said, but it still lingered in her mind. She will come for me...she will.
Xena returned with four rabbits and Gabrielle cooked them all one by one. Tala sat on her stump eating her food quietly. Xena stared at her ignoring her food for quite some time. Gabrielle came to sit next to Xena and began eating her food quietly. She saw Xena's glare at Tala and she nudged her arm knocking her out of her gaze.
"Are you alright?" Gabrielle asked.
Xena frowned at her friend, "no Gabrielle, I'm not." Gabrielle rolled her eyes and set her bowl down in her lap.
"Xena are you still upset that I didn't go hunting with you? There's –"
Xena shook her head waving her hand dismissively. "No I'm not upset at that!" she growled. "It's that girl. Something is not right with her." She rubbed her chin in deep thought.
Gabrielle sighed loudly. "Look Xena just lay off it. There's nothing wrong with her she's just confused and didn't know where to turn to when she left home. She thought joining Phraates' army would help her toughen up."
Xena looked at her disbelievingly. "I can't believe you of all people actually are falling for that crap."
"Is this about my judgment of character again? Xena! You are just jealous." Gabrielle spooned some of the stew in her mouth and Xena gasped.
"I am not jealous! I can't believe you'd say something like that!" she tossed the bowl aside and stared at the girl. "What else did she say about her life?"
Gabrielle scoffed at her friend. "If you're so curious why don't you ask her for yourself?"
Xena grinned forcefully. "Oh no, she's your friend remember?" she abruptly stood up and grabbed her sword heading off to the forest.
Gabrielle turned around, "where are you going?!" she called out.
Xena frowned and kept walking. "To chop up some wood for your friend," she sarcastically said as she twirled her sword in her wrist. Gabrielle groaned and no longer felt hungry she set the bowl of rabbit aside grumbling to herself. She caught Tala staring at her and she smiled.
"I don't want you two to fight just because of me," Tala admitted sadly.
Gabrielle shook her head dismissing the idea. "It's not about you. She's just upset at me. She seems to be getting upset at me a lot." She groaned. "You know she's been so antsy lately? She got mad at me for organizing her scrolls for her and then she blamed me for a fire that started at our campsite last week," she sighed and leaned her chin on her palm, twirling a stick in her hand.
Tala grinned and crawled over to sit next to Gabrielle. "She treats you like a little girl. You shouldn't let her treat you like that, Gabrielle!"
The blonde started giggling, "no she knows that I'm her friend. She'd never do anything to deliberately hurt me. She's probably just mad about Phraates. She's been trying to catch him for the last five years, actually longer than that," she scoffed thinking of that battle five years ago between Greece, the Roman Empire and Phraates' sad Persian army. Xena had won then which she planned on doing from the start, but she was beginning to doubt herself and become tired of fighting enemies to save her empire, Gabrielle knew this to be true, she saw it in Xena's eyes. She was tired and she was taking out her anger on Gabrielle.
Tala nodded listening to Gabrielle's words. "Friends don't treat one another like she treats you Gabrielle." She admitted and Gabrielle turned to her with furrowed eyebrows. She stared into Tala's dark eyes completely in denial of what she said but somehow there was some truth to it. Tala's hand came to rest on top of Gabrielle's and she smiled.
"I can treat you much better than Xena ever will," she scooted closer and Gabrielle leaned back away from the girl.
"What are you doing?" Gabrielle stood up abruptly and Tala stood up in almost equal height with her.
Tala shrugged her shoulders. "Just trying to be nice to you. Sorry, I won't touch you again, Gabrielle. I just wanted to make you feel comfortable around me."
Gabrielle smiled softly and sat back down with Tala following. Tala sighed, "I don't know why Xena doesn't trust me. You trust me, right? You know I'm not lying, right?" Gabrielle nodded placing a hand on her shoulder gently.
"Of course I believe you!" they shared a smile.
Later Xena and Gabrielle were back in their tent. Gabrielle was fast asleep and her little friend Tala was sleeping outside the tent. Xena didn't feel like sleeping as she felt something was wrong. She heard some rustling of boots and small footsteps. She immediately sat up and listened. Grabbing her sword she got out of bed and crept out her tent and found Tala gone.
Xena frowned and followed Tala's footsteps into the forest. She crept behind trees as she saw Tala walking as quietly as she could, trying not to make any noise. Xena's eyes lowered and she held her sword upward and kept walking about twenty feet behind her.
When Tala came to a halt Xena knelt down behind a large shrub and looked through the leaves. She saw her hand a note to a man, he was wearing identical armor to hers. Phraates' men of course. She smiled and waited for Tala to retreat back to the camp. She soon followed after with a smug smile on her lips.
Xena stood behind a tree waiting for Tala to become situated on the blanket. She crept up behind Tala and pulled her arm behind her back. Tala yelped and Xena's grip tightened. "What were you doing in those woods, huh?"
"What are you talking about?" she groaned loudly as Xena pushed her arm further up her back.
"you know! Tell me what were you doing? Or do you want to die?!" she smiled and Gabrielle exited the tent and saw Xena on top of Tala holding her down.
Gabrielle grabbed Xena's shoulder. "Xena! What are you doing?! You're hurting her!" she tried pushing her off but Xena shrugged her shoulder.
"I don't care!" Xena snarled. "Go on tell her what you were doing Tala," she grinned. She squeezed Tala's arm and gritted her teeth. "Last chance!" Gabrielle held her head in between her palms and she pushed Xena off Tala. Xena gasped and Tala rubbed her arm, rotating her aching shoulder.
Tala frowned at Xena. "I was just going for a walk." She stared up at Gabrielle and she knelt down examining her bruising arm. The blonde glared at Xena. She saw the empress stand up and brush off some dirt off her clothing.
"Gabrielle don't you ever do that again!" Xena demanded and Gabrielle stood up, coming inches away from her. Xena bowed her head having a staring contest with her friend. "You're telling me that you believe this girl over me?" she pointed her finger at Tala.
Gabrielle folded her arms, "maybe! She has no reason to lie to me. She's obviously just afraid of you! I mean look what you did to her arm" Xena rolled her eyes.
"Oh please," Xena unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Tala and turned her gaze back to Gabrielle who seemed fearful that she'd kill Tala right on the spot. "You can have her but I'm not traveling with you if you choose to stay with her!" she demanded.
Gabrielle and Tala looked at one another and she frowned at Xena. "Then I won't go with you." Xena's eyes widened. She seemed surprised that Gabrielle chose this lying girl over her. She had known Gabrielle for much longer and knew everything about her and this girl comes along and deceives her with her sappy stories.
Xena sheathed her sword and brushed past Gabrielle. "Fine." She gathered her belongings throwing them over Argo's saddle and mounted her hastily.
"You're leaving in the middle of the night?" Gabrielle asked, a bit shocked that she was so eager to leave.
"You want to stay with that liar then I can't stop you. Don't come crying to me when you get hurt," she clicked her tongue and took off riding in the dark. Gabrielle ran ahead and saw her friend leave her and her men followed her immediately. She huffed angrily, folding her arms.
Gabrielle grumbled to herself as she returned to the campsite. She sat down and buried her face in her hands. Tala scooted close to her and wrapped her arm around Gabrielle smiling mischievously. "Sorry Gabrielle, but if she's willing to leave you then you don't really need her do you?"
Gabrielle lifted her head and stared into Tala's eyes. Curiously she asked, "why did you go into those woods?"
Tala shrugged, "I was going for a walk like I said." Gabrielle nodded, feeling a bit like Tala was not telling the entire truth but now Xena was gone. She actually left me.
Solan spent all night looking through his mother's stack of parchment. He stayed awake the entire time and didn't find anything that would help him find Eve. He knew that she was on a mission trying to find Phraates' scouts and scattered army across Greece, but that's it. She didn't really to talk politics with him and especially if Eve was present, she wouldn't dare touch the subject. Politics were only for her and Gabrielle in her office.
Morning had arrived and he saw a scroll laying on one of Xena's shelves. He must have missed that one. Racha came in with a tray of tea and she set it on the desk. She peaked as he was sneakily rummaging through Xena's things. "Did you find anything?"
Solan frowned and unrolled the scroll. He read it through and the two stood in the office in silence. "I think so..." he went back to Xena's desk and set a few paper weights on the corners of the scroll. He began jotting down some notes on a separate scroll. "Phraates has men in Greece and Persia. The entire reason she went on this mission was to get rid of his army.." he tapped his chin. "But why would she do that? She must know that he's gonna go back to Persia...right?" he stared up at Racha who was obviously clueless when it came to such things.
"Racha...you sit in my mother's room sometimes right?" she nodded, affirming his accusation. "Does she ever talk about her missions with Gabrielle while you're in there?"
Racha twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Well Solan, I'm not allowed to repeat such things..." she lowered her gaze. "But if you must know then yes...I hear a lot."
Solan smiled. "Did she talk about the current mission she is on right now with Gabrielle?" Racha nodded once more. "I'm giving you permission to tell me." The maid was reluctant to repeat Xena's words. Xena may be a changed woman but she was pretty ruthless when it came to secret missions. She learned to never repeat anything after Xena especially after what she did to Callisto many years ago. "Racha, this is to help us find Eve! Just tell me, com'on?" he begged. "I'll deal with my mother, you don't have to worry about that. This is my fault anyway..." he sighed, feeling guilty.
Racha sighed heavily. "well...while I was washing Xena's hair she told Gabrielle that she was going to write a few things to present to the Roman senate about Phraates. I had to leave to grab a few towels and that's all I heard."
Solan threw his hands in the air. "Romans again? She obviously isn't thinking straight is she?" he groaned. "You didn't hear anything else?" Racha denied that she heard anything else. "If Eve was kidnapped then I am almost positive it was by Phraates or at least by some of his men..." his eyes grew and he left Xena's office. "She is probably not in Greece anymore!" he yelled out to his men to tell them everything Racha told him and that Eve might be with the Persians.
Eve was escorted off the ship with her hands tied behind her back. Phraates walked in front of her and they have now arrived at the port in his land. Eve looked around and saw that this place was nothing like Athens, nothing like her home or her mother's empire. Everything looked so different, even the people dressed differently here. Women wore long dresses and veils covering their hair. Eve looked at her own long hair, now reaching her waist, much like her mother's.
She felt like she was being stared at from all directions. After everyone was escorted off the ship they rode in caravans and on horseback to get to Phraates' palace. Eve was riding on a horse that was tied to a soldier's horse.
Not long after leaving the port they arrived at Phraates' palace. Eve's eyes grew and her mouth gaped as she saw two lion statues with wings on either side of the gate. The heavy metal bared gates opened and they rode on through. Eve saw a large fountain in the middle of the entrance and it had a giant statue of a woman holding a dove in her arms.
Phraates stepped out of the caravan and went to see Eve. He saw she was rather entranced by his home. "Nice isn't it? nothing like Athens huh?" he smirked.
Eve followed Phraates into his fortress with a guard right beside her. She wasn't foolish enough to try something here, she knew that. She was already here and far, far away from home now. Phraates' lies lingered in her mind about her mother. She knew that Xena did bad things sometimes but it was only because she wanted to protect the empire. She killed people like Phraates and she knew that she'd come for her, she was good at finding people. Eve knew that eventually her mother would rescue her.
He snapped his fingers at his servant girls. "Take her to get changed into something more suitable and then bring her to me in the throne room." Two young women came to Eve and were only wearing skirts and a cloth covering their breasts. Eve's eyes widened. She didn't want these women anywhere near her but she complied.
The two women smiled at her and gently pushed her forward leading her to a large room filled with many steaming pools of water. The women immediately stripped Eve of her dress and she gasped covering her body with her lanky arms.
Eve was gently placed in the warm water and she covered her chest with her arms, feeling a bit too exposed. The only time she ever was naked in front of someone was either in front of her mother, Gabrielle or Racha. It was so strange to have these women washing her hair and they were strangers to her. They didn't even speak the same language as her.
An hour or so later the doors to the throne room opened and Phraates straightened himself in his throne. He saw Eve enter the room wearing a white gown with a red sash around her waist and had her hair in a large bun atop of her head as well as kohl lining her big blue eyes. He smiled deviously.
"Now you look like a Persian Princess," he said and the other men stared at her as she stood in front of the room nervously. She was starting to feel a bit hopeless right about now, fearing what this king was going to do to her. He had a strange look in his eyes she noticed.
"You brought me here to play dress-up?" Eve said folding her arms with a cocky smile. Phraates frowned staring at this brat.
He laughed and the other men started laughing. She unfolded her arms and frowned, not finding this situation very funny at all. "Sure if that's what you want to call it. I'm going to make your mother an offer." He drank some wine from his chalice and Eve stared at him anxiously. "You will be betrothed to my son and she can have her silly empire in peace." Eve's mouth gaped and now she felt like she wanted to just run away and risk swimming in the shark infested waters to get back to Athens.
He snapped his fingers and a separate door opened and a boy of nine years old walked in. He wore black loose pants, sandals and a vest barely hiding his bare chest. His dark wavy hair was slicked back tightly and his eyes were heavily lined with kohl. He had green eyes and olive skin. He was rather toned for a nine year old but he still looked like a child. The Persian Prince came sauntering over and Eve looked at him a bit nervous. He smiled at her and then kissed her hand. Eve crinkled her nose and she snatched her hand away, rubbing his saliva on her white gown.
"My name is Samuel," the young prince said in a very regal tone. Eve raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at Phraates who seemed very content.
"I'm not going to marry you or anyone! I'm too...young," it donned on her that she finally she understood that her mother's words reiterated in her brain after many months, had made sense. She wanted to go on missions with her and Gabrielle and she wanted to see Athens but her mother always said she was too young. Now Eve truly understood what she meant by being too young, now she was in this situation.
The young prince smiled at Eve. He was looking at her blue eyes and she frowned at him, staring elsewhere feeling uncomfortable. "Can I take her to see the gardens, father?" he asked hopeful. Phraates waved his hand and then Samuel grabbed Eve's hand which she snatched away.
"Don't touch me," she said sternly. He simply smiled and walked along and she trailed behind. She was nearly the same height as the young prince even though she was three years younger than him.
Samuel walked with the Greek Princess to the gardens and he smiled at her discontent face. "What is your name?"
She stared at him and mumbled, "Eve..."
"that's a pretty name much like yourself," he tried to be smooth with her but Eve rolled her eyes and then he grabbed her hand as they walked. She frowned creasing her brows and threw her hand aside, halting in her step.
"I said...don't touch me!" she pushed him and he fell on the stone walkway and she folded her arms at him and continued walking by herself. He smirked at her and immediately got up running after her.
Xena returned to her palace and the gates opened for her. The men followed her in and all the guards looked at nervously and they were all very quiet. She was eager to get back home although she was a bit upset that Gabrielle was still with that lying girl.
She put Argo in the stables and noticed Elijah was gone. She frowned thinking that rather strange. She walked into the palace and saw Solan talking among a few of her men. She smiled coming towards him and the men dispersed bowing their heads curtly at Xena.
"Solan!" she grinned and hugged him tightly. She looked around hoping to see Eve popping out running to her like she usually did when she was gone on long missions. "Where's Eve?" she furrowed her brows.
His head hung lowly and Xena frowned at him, now becoming worried. "Solan...what's going on?" she asked nervously.
"She's...she's gone." He admitted sadly. Xena felt her blood pressure rising and she pursed her lips tightly.
"What do you mean she's gone?!" she yelled and began searching in every room disrupting classes and all the young children stared at her confusedly. "Eve!" she called out and Solan grabbed her arm.
"She's not here!" he firmly said and Xena balled her fists ready to hit something or someone. "She...she wanted to see the inner city and I told her no. She snuck out of the palace and we think she may have been taken by someone, possibly Phraates and his gang of men."
Xena's lip quivered and she buried her face in her hands. Solan backed away a couple of feet fearing what she might do. "How could you just let her leave?! I should have all the guards burned at the stake!" her voice echoed through the marble halls and all the children peaked around the corners of the classroom and saw the empress' temper rising by the second.
"I trusted you!" she yelled and then brushed past him bumping into his shoulder she stormed to her office. Solan rubbed his shoulder as her large shoulder bracer pierced his collar bone.
He entered her office and saw Xena throwing scrolls aside looking for a map. He noticed that Gabrielle was not with her and he frowned. "Where's Gabrielle?"
Xena didn't hear him and he repeated himself and she stopped what she was doing to look up at him. "What?"
"Gabrielle?" he asked once more for the third time.
Xena growled, "I left her with her new playmate," she rummaged through some more documents and pulled out a map. She grabbed a quill and drew a line from Athens to Persia, calculating with her fingers how many days it would take to reach there. It took about two days by ship to reach the Eastern lands and she immediately tossed the map aside. "Eve's been missing for days! How come you didn't do anything about it?" she marched up to Solan who now stood eye level with her.
Solan frowned, "I went looking for her! We found her horse on the outskirts of Athens by the sea. I figured that she had been taken there." He reached in his pocket and pulled out Eve's locket that was left on the beach. Xena grabbed the locket and brushed off some sand covering the locket's heart. She covered her mouth and slowed her breathing. She didn't want Eve in the hands of Phraates, she knew what he was capable of even if he was a poor king. He was just using Eve as bait and surely he knew that she'd come for her.
He placed his hand on top of hers and she clinched the locket in her palm. "We're going to find her!" he said and Xena frowned, her eyes darkening, her pupils dilating as her heart raced faster.
"Yes we are," she smiled. "and when we do I'm going to kill Phraates and have his head."
Solan followed her and called out, "what about Gabrielle? Is she coming back?"
Xena stopped and felt a sense of guilt leaving her friend with that wretched girl. Frowning she marched onward. "She made her decision." She ran outside and hopped on Argo telling her men the plan. Solan sighed and trailed behind her grabbing his horse.
Gabrielle rode on her horse with Tala sitting behind her. She was traveling back to Athens. She couldn't just leave Xena and felt horrible that she chose this stranger over her but Xena had acted irrationally towards the young imposter soldier. Thinking of that she grew angrier but she tried to ignore it. she was sure they'd reach Athens in half a day with the rate they're going.
"So we're really going to Athens?" Tala sighed feeling slightly annoyed that Gabrielle was still too attached to Xena.
She nodded, "yes, I live there with Xena. She's just angry. She'll get over it," she smiled and continued riding through the forests.
"Right, of course." Tala sat behind Gabrielle and they rode in silence. She grinned, "Xena's daughter, she's very beautiful."
Gabrielle halted the horse and peered at Tala over her shoulder. "How do you know about her daughter?" she frowned a bit skeptical.
Tala shrugged, "I have sources," she then pushed Gabrielle off the horse and jumped off unsheathing a sword from her belt she pointed it at Gabrielle's backside. "Don't get up Gabrielle unless you want to die."
Gabrielle froze and she frowned now thinking that Xena was right all along and she didn't believe her. She felt stupid right about now. "why are you doing this?" she yelled out as her face was inches away from the dirt.
Tala smiled, "Phraates has Xena's daughter. I received word last night."
Gabrielle groaned, closing her eyes. "So Xena was right not to trust you. You were up to something last night in those woods!" she then turned around and swiped her legs knocking Tala off her feet and she landed on the dirt. Gabrielle grabbed Tala's sword and pointed it at her throat. "Give me one good reason to not kill you." She smirked.
Tala smiled at the blade's point staring at her. "Gabrielle...Xena is a tyrant and her daughter will be one too when she comes of age. Don't you want her dead? The both of them?" she grinned deviously. Gabrielle tossed the sword aside and then kicked the woman in her gut and she groaned loudly, holding her midsection with her arms.
Gabrielle then grabbed Tala's arm and twisted it until a 'crack' was heard. Tala screamed out in pain. Gabrielle smiled and then proceeded to break her other arm. "How you like that?" she stomped on Tala's shins, shattering her bones with ease. "I can't believe I actually believed you. I should've listened to Xena," she admitted shamefully.
Tala began laughing in between her harsh breaths. "But you didn't and now her daughter is gone and you slowed Xena down. It's all your fault!"
The blonde kicked the woman again and she groaned in agony. She knelt down grabbed Tala's blouse coming within inches of her face. "Tell me where Phraates has her. This is your last chance to redeem yourself."
Tala smirked, "you're a smart girl. Figure it out." Gabrielle gritted her teeth and let go of the woman and mounted her horse. "You're just going to leave me here?" she pleaded falsely.
"If I were Xena you'd be dead but don't worry I haven't spared you. The wolves will come for you later," she smugly smiled and rode off as quickly as she could back to Athens. Tala cried out, angry that her plan had not only failed but she was set out to die a slow and painful death. She'd rather be beheaded than rot here and get eaten by wolves.
